Refraction by gas inhomogeneities during laser heating of a metal

Abstract

An analysis is made of the distribution of the refractive index near the boundary of a metal heated by laser radiation. The gradient of the refractive index of the gas, caused by the heat flux, and the distribution of the refractive index in the inhomogeneously heated gas are found. The drift of the laser beam due to the refraction of radiation in a gas is estimated, which shows an increase in the drift for narrow laser beams. Keywords: refraction in gas, gas heating, metal laser heating.